Wildflowerhouse By Sharon Judd Chapman

New Watercolor Cards

2012-01-27T17:52:00.000-08:00

Had a little time to finish up these cards.

The sun is actually shining and all is good weather wise.

What more could a girl ask for!!!

Botanical Matchbox Swap

2012-01-26T12:26:00.000-08:00

Getting back to normal. We had another power outage

that only lasted 5 hours. So I think things have calmed down.

Anyway I shall be mailing these off today (if we are able to

get the tree off my car). There is a verse inside these little boxes

that says "If we could see the miracle of a single flower

clearly our whole world would change." Buddha.

This was a fun swap through Milliande. They have so many fun

groups. These boxes are stamped and water-colored.

I hope they like them. It feels so good to be back in the studio!

The Storm That Wasn't So Pretty.

2012-01-24T17:57:00.000-08:00

It started on the 15th with a lovely snowfall.

It snowed the 16th, 17th and 18th.

The morning of the 18th DH started

plowing. This is looking down our

driveway. The snow was so heavy

on the branches. I tried to gently

knock what I could off the

Japanese Maples. But that night we had a

ice storm....

My car is under all this. This was one of my

favorite trees right outside my studio.

what can I say...

The ice was so heavy...

The tree just shattered...

The big alpines, cedars and pine frozen in place.

I could hear trees breaking. It sounded like gunshots. The road to our home

had so many trees down it took hours and hours

to clear. Trees still hanging low today.

People say what a neat photo...I think the

tree was crying. I know I was...

All my Japanese maples are broken along

with several other trees.

After 100 plus hours of no power we left with the cockateil and dog.

We now have power but they say another storm is do tonight.

I hope not. We have run out of firewood. There is so much cleanup

to do but we will wait until the snow and ice all melt.

There are still people out of power and I sure feel for them.

The crews from Rocky Mtn Electric, Montana we thank for coming to our rescue.

Thanks to the 100's of linemen who came to Washington's rescue.

I hope to be back tomorrow. I'm not sure I will ever feel warm again.

First Snow of the Year

2012-01-15T16:07:00.000-08:00

This is the first snow for 2012.

This is just the first half hour and if it keeps up

we shall have a lot of snow.

You cannot even see the mountains behind the

trees. I shall have to put apples and pears out for

the deer. Suet and feeders have waiting lines already.

I am tucked soundly away in my studio after a

quick trip to the store for essentials.

I have been working on the matchbox (botanical)

swap over on Milliandes. I can't show them until they are

mailed. But it is a fun swap. You can still join. Just go

http://milliande.ning.com/group/atcswaps/forum/topics/international-botanical-altered-matchbox-swap?commentId=2158107%3AComment%3A537402&xg_source=msg_com_gr_forum

Other than that I have been trying to organize my studio. I don't

think I am making much progress. I think of something I want to

try and the next thing you know I am sitting in the middle of a huge

mess just painting away. Teddy has even dragged his pillow

under my desk and has made a safe cubby for him to

observe from....

I seem to be taking on more projects than I have time for.

Best laid plans and all that.....

Oh well...

Hope to have something to show soon, but now I must find the snow shovel :-)

Squash Book

2012-01-06T17:37:00.000-08:00

Been having a little fun making Squash books.

This is what one looked like opened up.

The true color .

The saying is...

"Good friends are like the stars, you don't always

see them, but you know they are there."

Meet Hazel....

2012-01-04T12:24:00.000-08:00

This my friends is Hazel.

A year or two ago I was given one leaf to

start a plant with, by my friend Hazel.

Well Hazel (the plant) sprouted roots

so I planted her in soil in a small pot.

She seemed to love it and soon needed

to be re-potted in a medium pot. OK....

Then a large pot....

Hazel has now taken over the house , so if

you don't hear from me, well it's been fun!

Seriously I am running out of pots.

But I love her and her sweet small pink or white

(depending on her mood) flowers. So I am afraid

to try and divide her. Any suggestions will be

welcome.

My First Attempt

2012-01-02T10:21:00.000-08:00

Well boys and girls I took the leap and gave it a try.

Traci Bautista's class on mixed media started yesterday

and she makes it look so e-a-s-y..... I think I am liking

this class as it is making me loosen up. The above is

not finished (for sure) but it is my first attempt. I shall be

practicing this between my watercolor work. I may

just get the hang of it...... LOL

A Bright New Year

2012-01-01T10:22:00.000-08:00

A brand new year hopefully filled with wonderful and

exciting things. I awoke to a balmy 42 degrees, no snow and a

little sunshine peeking through the clouds.

I once again (big intentions, I hope to keep) have joined in to do

the calendars with Kathryn Wheel. You can find her button on my side bar.

I was with friends over the holidays and the question of weather on a certain date in

Sept. came up. I went to my calendar and could tell them what the weather was and what

I did that day. They all got a laugh out of that.... so will try to keep the weather on it too.

My short way of journalism. I also hope to take a photo everyday of 2012. We shall

see if all these grandiose ideas stick. I am also joining the Strathmore art workshops. The

first one starts today and is by Traci Bautista and shall take me out of my element.

Shall be shaking things up a bit in 2012. Heaven help me...

So Happy First Day of 2012 everybody and lets get get a

wiggle on and be creative! LOL

To Wish You a Merry Christmas,Happy Holidays & a Joyous New Year!

2011-12-19T18:25:00.000-08:00

I know I disappeared for awhile. Let me tell you do NOT

start a project for Christmas gifts that is unfamiliar to you.

I decided to make watercolor flower glass ornaments. I painted on these fragile

glass pieces for 5 1/2 weeks. There was some ink involved and I used a "positively

permanent ink".... I finally reached the glazing point, tired but excited... I lined them all

up and began spraying. They were shiny and bright and then, are you sitting down...

they all started to run where the ink was. It was like watching everything melt and moosh together!

You do NOT want to know what I said ... no you don't. It was not nice or lady like in the

least. DH can attest to this.... It has taken me days to come to terms with this disaster.

But I picked myself up, dusted myself off and have gone with a much more familiar project.

Needless to say I have had to burn the candle at both ends to meet the deadline. But I did it.

So here I am to wish you all a jolly happy joyous holiday.

Enjoy family and friends, put your feet up and maybe read a good book.

It is time to remember what the holiday is really all about.

That is what I plan to do, plus take Teddy for fun nature hikes. He has been so good waiting for me to finish everything.

Take care and I'll be back after my short winters nap.

Ho ho ho and all that good stuff.

Photo is of the carousel at Seaside Oregon. I took it during our visit in Oct.

Life Has.....

2011-12-07T19:12:00.000-08:00

Life has not been a

for the past few days...

I'm going

with this one project I am trying to finish...

Back soon once I master this project.

A Foggy Sunday Morning

2011-12-04T11:08:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I showed you

this photo looking out my studio

window.

This morning I awoke to a cold fog

and when I looked out the sun was trying

to come through.

I thought it quite a dramatic difference

in such a short time.

But the birds seem quite happy with

all the goodies I have put out for them.

They keep me entertained as I work on

Christmas gifts.

Have a happy Sunday!!!

Brrrrrrrr!

After the Big Bird....

2011-11-27T17:39:00.000-08:00

After the big day and all the trimmings one

must have a day of rest.(Maybe two days) :-)

Then prepare treats for our deer friends who

love apples and pears.

They came in a downpour of rain but didn't seem

to mind as long as there were goodies to eat.

Then I got down to business and finished up some Christmas

gifts I had been working on. ( I am making my gifts

this year... I wonder what came over me).

Plus I had this journal/photo album to finish for my

Wildflowerhouse shoppe and one for my Etsy.

I hope you all had a great holiday !

Ho Ho Ho how many days until Christmas...

Not enough that's for sure!!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T00:02:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all my US friends.

To everyone else well I wish you were here

as I've cooked enough to feed an army. LOL

Thanks to the Graphic Fairy for this gorgeous image.

Crayon Roll Ups

2011-11-17T18:08:00.000-08:00

Just finished up an order for these crayon-roll-ups.

This one is for the little boy.

and this one is for the little girl.

I used those triangular shaped crayons that

won't roll off the table and they promote

proper writing grip. They are large and

strong for the most "discriminating colorist" !!.

Was a great project to get done on this cold and blustery day.

Forecast is for that 4 letter word. ( I hope not)

NaNoJouMo....

2011-11-15T13:27:00.000-08:00

I found this blog by

Dawn Devries Sokol

and decided "this I have to try!"

Go over to her blog to read the details

and you too can join in. Of course

it is now November15th and I must say I am a

late starter, but what the heck.

I had this small journal I had made with just

the right amount of pages.

Page one: Take Flight...

Page 2: see the possibilities

I shall show you more as I play catch up!

Check it out and join me!

We can do it.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

2011-11-13T13:21:00.000-08:00

Peeking out my studio window as I work ....

We have had one storm after another.

Friday night they closed Snoqualmie Pass

as it was snowing hard. My son was trying to

come home and ended up staying with friends

until Saturday. Mt. Si which I look at from the

living room had snow half way down. I am not

ready for this. I still have gardening to do....

Oh well back to painting gift tags

Maybe the sun will come back tomorrow

MAYBE!

New Journal

2011-11-07T17:54:00.000-08:00

Just finished this journal filled with

60 pages of 140lb. watercolor paper.

Added some of my paper beads for decoration.

The cover is Lokta paper, sometimes called
Nepali paper which comes from the Lokta bush
or the Daphne bush. The binding is a rayon
book cloth for added strength. Measures
9 1/2 by 6 1/2. I've used these for
watercolor and for photo albums.
I thought the pattern was a fun choice.

October Flew Out the Door...

2011-11-01T12:47:00.000-07:00

My calendar for October.
(click on photo to" embiggin" as my little friend says

Filled mostly with my road trip to Tucson,California &

Oregon coast.

Now to figure out Novembers calendar.

Check out all the calendars over at Kathryn Wheel.

It is fun to look back at all the things one has done over the year.

New Watercolor Cards

2011-10-30T20:15:00.000-07:00

Been busy in the studio painting away.

New cards for my Etsy shop.

AND trying to acclimate back to cooler temps.

I miss the CA. coast weather. But I guess rain is

better than what's happening on the East coast.

I really feel for those people. Well back to the

paint brush.

We are Back From Our Road Trip

2011-10-24T21:08:00.000-07:00

We left Washington in a deluge of rain, but as we

headed south towards Mount Shasta things cleared up.

Down through California on the

Grape Vine things really started

to heat up, around 98 degrees.

Coming into Tucson and 100 degrees. Way

too hot. Stayed for 2 days then headed back

across the desert in the heat towards the

California coast.

4,000 plus feet and 104 degrees.

Water I need water mom.

Oh the lovely coast of Laguna Beach and only

80 some degrees.

Wonderful trees sculpted by the wind.

Climbing geraniums at least 12 feet high.

Dining outside by the ocean. (the man in the

background was feeding the birds,click to

enlarge, funny)

On the road again going N. This was up at

Weed, California. Weather was great.

The coast at Lincoln City Oregon.

Teddy thought this was great.

The carousal at Seaside, Oregon.

The weather changed at Gearhart Oregon and

Teddy got caught in a sand storm.

All tuckered out and ready for the trip home

the next day.

It was a fun two weeks and now

I need a vacation from our vacation!

So that's where I've been. This was Teddy's

first long trip and he was a perfect little

gentleman.

Teddy and I are Off...

2011-10-10T23:23:00.000-07:00

Teddy and I are taking a little R and R!!!!

Back soon.

October Calendar Just Flew In....!

2011-10-01T12:35:00.000-07:00

Well here comes blustery October

with a little help from some friends...

Got the watercolors out and painted away...

Let's hope Oct doesn't go as fast as September did...

To see what happened to September go to next post...
Make sure to check out all the great calendars
at Kathryn Wheel. Her button is on my side bar,
just click it!!!!

September Went So Fast

2011-09-30T18:41:00.000-07:00

I must admit there are a few days with "?".

I simply forgot to fill them in and now I can't remember.

Oh well "such an exciting life" I live (yawn).

I actually was busy filling up my Etsy shop,some

special orders and just enjoying the sunshine.

We have had a beautiful Sept.,warm and sunny.

Now I must make my Oct. calendar quick before

I leave on a little road trip to Tucson and then CA

and back up the coast.

Teddy Picks the Winner...

2011-09-24T12:10:00.000-07:00

"Teddy where have you been ? It's time

to pick the winner and your face is

all dirty....

Oh well let's find the hat.... what no blindfold?

OK I know you don't read."

"Put the names in mom"

"I am mixing them up good"

"and the winner is...tell them mom, tell them"

"OK Teddy the winner is

#3 LAURIE

"Teddy where are you going?'
"I'm waiting for LAURIE to come."
"Teddy we have to mail her prize to her."
"Well OK my job is done, can I have a treat now?"
Life with Teddy is never a dull moment.
Congrats to you Laurie, please send me your address and Ted and
I shall mail it off to you.
Thanks to everyone who entered. I have had fun
peaking at all your wonderful blogs.

A Special Giveaway

2011-09-21T00:10:00.000-07:00

When Lyric Kincard asked me to review

her new DVD

I said sure. When it came I slipped it into the player

and was transpired into another world. Now I do

beading but I sure learned a lot from this fabulous

DVD. I had been working in watercolor and put it all aside.

Out came the wool felt, the beads, the needles and away I

went. Listening to the DVD as I went. I felt like I was

beading with an old friend. She has a special way of

making everything easy and fun. I learned things I had never

tried before. Lyric has a great sense of humor that

makes learning something new easy and fun.

So without further expounding from me, here is

the giveaway. To win this fabulous DVD just answer this

question, "What is your favorite type of bead and how would you use it?"

I shall have Teddy (blindfolded of course) pick the winner on

Sept.24th.

The following links are also participating.

Sept 15  Larkin Van Horn http://blog.larkinart.com/
Sept 16 Susan Sorell http://www.creativechick.com/blog/
Sept 19 Kelli Nina Perkins http://ephemeralalchemy.blogspot.com/
Sept 21  Sharon Chapman http://wildflowerhouse.blogspot.com/
Sept 23 Leslie Jennison http://leslietuckerjenison.blogspot.com/
Sept 26 Carla Sonheim http://carlasonheim.wordpress.com/
Sept 28 Gloria Hansen http://www.gloriahansen.com/weblog/
Sept 30 Laura Wasilowski http://artfabrik.blogspot.com/
Oct 3  Carol Sloane http://carolbsloan.blogspot.com/
Oct 5 Sue Bleiweiss http://www.suebleiweiss.com/blog/
Oct 7  Jill Berry http://jillberrydesign.com/blog/
Oct 10 Jane LaFazio http://janeville.blogspot.com/
Oct 12 Tracie Lynn Huskamp http://thereddoor-studio.blogspot.com/
If you just can't wait... 
You can buy Lyric's DVD workshop
BEAD IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT
here
http://www.lyrickinard.com/bead_it_like_you_mean_it_.html

For more info on this great gal you can click on the following links

http://www.lyrickinard.com/about_lyric.html
 
Artist, author, and educator, Lyric Montgomery Kinard lives in North 
Carolina with her left brained genius of a husband and four of her 
highly creative and talented children. She insists she

is not biased but 
admits she might be a little addled in the brain.
 
Links
http://lyrickinard.blogspot.com/2010/10/tutorial-beaded-fringe.html
http://www.lyrickinard.com/bead_it_like_you_mean_it_.html
http://lyrickinard.blogspot.com/

Good luck and Teddy says he is open to bribes,

chicken snaps, dog bones,etc. Good grief....

Oh and this is my little quilt with curved beads, single

beads and stacks.

so much fun! (Click on photo to enlarge)

Where is that rider on horseback going 40

miles an hour, when you need him.What am I

talking about ...well you have to see

the DVD to Know!

What's Up...?

2011-09-20T00:12:00.000-07:00

What's up... I hear she has something

special planned for tomorrow!

Well what's she gone and done now?

I don't have the foggiest idea....mmm

So we better check in tomorrow don't you think....

Yup, I guess so.....mmm...

Watercolor Cards

2011-09-12T17:23:00.000-07:00

Spent a quiet weekend enjoying the

wonderful warm weather. Had dinner on

the deck, did a little gardening and

painted these cards.

I had sold out of all my cards on my Etsy shop

and thought I had better get hopping. So

I am off to list these.

A Quiet Day To Reflect

2011-09-11T20:04:00.000-07:00

Click on the title of this post.

Taking the Day off!

2011-09-10T12:08:00.000-07:00

Need I say more!

New Journals

2011-09-05T10:39:00.000-07:00

I've been busy finishing up some

journals for my Etsy shop.

This one is hard cover with watercolor.

All preserved with a three part finish.

The covers on these have a leather like

look and feel, but are not leather.

Vintage button closure on this one.

Another watercolor with a coptic binding.

This has book cloth and Lokta cloth from Nepal.

You can read more about them on my Etsy.

August Calendar Ends & September Begins

2011-09-01T13:49:00.000-07:00

Well August has ended and with a surprise!

The nigh of the 30th I went to cover up Tesula

our cockateil who everyone thought was a boy...

and there SHE was in the bottom of the cage

making strange noises... when out came an egg.

So I spent a few hours making a nest for her and

reading up on google "what was going on!"

So that is my excuse for not quite finishing my

September calendar. But here is what I have

done so far.

I need to add the finishing touches... but have

to finish up some journals first. I shall return.

(click on photos to enlarge, if you like)

Look Who Invaded My Garden

2011-08-24T11:47:00.000-07:00

This beautiful zinnia traveled as a

seed all the way from Italy. My

dear friend Monica sent the seeds

to me this Spring. We have had unusual

weather, rainy and cold until lately. But

these beauties prevailed until....

Yes the herd came through...

But "FEARLESS" (that would be me) chased

them out yelling as I went, "these are special

flowers all the way from Italy and my dear

friend Monica. Leave my garden now!"

My DH said he was sure they understood what

I was saying.LOL One went whipping

past me at a real fast clip

that accounts for the blur....

I was able to save all but one flower.

These big guys are so quiet that you hardly

hear them coming. They had their babies with them.

Probably on a 'training mission'

So I picked some veggies and hung out for awhile

to see if they came back. They didn't.

I think they are re-grouping for the next attack......

Plein Air & Railroad Days Part 2

2011-08-22T16:09:00.000-07:00

More fantastic artists.

Magali Lenarczak

Sally Rachets

Alraune Chowdhury

Gloria Danielson

Tami Donnelly

Richard Burhans

Sue Van Gerpen

Camille Bodey

Joe MacKechnie

Kathy Collins

Jeff Griswold

Last but not least

Miss Rachel

A budding young artist who is

delightful!

There were so many at the train station I did

not get to take any more shots.

So I shall close with photos of the kind of trees

we grow around here....

I hope you enjoyed my little excursion. I must tell you there

were so many more artists doing their thing all over town,

so I apologize to those I didn't get to....and to any misspelled

names.

Plein Air Event & Railroad Days Part 1

2011-08-21T12:39:00.000-07:00

The weather was terrific in the 80's but

with a breeze. Friday eve we went to just

see what was happening and have dinner

at Black Dog.

The food was so good and the chef that night

did the most wonderful bar-b-Que food. We

love this place and go there often for their

great food.

Saturday I went back early morning camera

in hand to try to get some photos for you of all

the artists and train events.

Now mind you it was very hot and there were loads

of people, so I did the best I could on the pictures.

Some were taken trying to avoid the glare and the people.

So without further ado....

Encaustic

Melissa Von Tschudi

Becky Orcutt

Danny Raphael

Molly Cady

Marilyn Romatka

Sue Yotz

Sandra P Robinson

You never know who you will run into
at these events....! Part 2 tomorrow.
As you can see there were so many
wonderful artists. There was something for everyone.